Australia's Science Forum

Here are a few basic b&w pics I've collected, & a lovely website with pics of just about every bit of labware you can think of.

http://www.primaryschoolscience.com/cli ... =chemistry

Kiah :O)

Hi all, I have a couple of questions about lab manager duties & how things work in independent, gov, catholic school systems...... Do you have first aid qualifications? Is it a job requirement/in your duty statement? If so.....are you responsible for administering first aid for staff & stude...

My current frustration & eye rolling is about one of our teachers, young & female, who has a very high opinion of herself & a large ego, but is always the one who asks me really stupid questions. :banghead2: Anyway.....re handbooks we give the science teachers, I'm happy to share ours if...

Hi Kel, a few years ago we put together handbooks for our science teachers. There's one for middle school science, & one for senior physics, chem & biology. The handbooks have info covering pretty much everything they need to know (so they have no excuse!) including lab rules, equipment inst...

Thanks from me also - awesome idea to use the dropper trays!

I made a batch on Friday with tray dividers in, & this morning I turned one upside down, pulled the sides apart a little & out came 10 perfect pink cubes!

Chemtalk absolutely rocks!!

Try this recipe..... Light Corn Syrup Substitute 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup water 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar Dash of salt Combine all ingredients in a heavy, large pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and put cover on it for 3 minutes to get sugar crystals off the sides of t...

On the other side of the coin..........one of my lot had booked a surface area to volume prac over 2 lessons, one Friday & the second part this morning. I made a big fresh tub of agar Friday afternoon ready for today, got the prac trays etc out on the bench for her class (just after setting up m...

We've gradually bought sets of Tain dataloggers & various probes/sensors over the last couple of years. They plug straight into a laptop USB & the software is nice & easy to use, plus a whole bunch of pracs are already loaded into the program, so you can do one of those, or you can adapt...

Eeeeek!!! :hitthefan: Don't let them use gentian violet! The stuff will turn anything that comes into contact with it, including the kids, purple for weeks :cheesy: Entertaining, but a real pain to try & clean up. We do junior forensic pracs & get fingerprints by rubbing a pencil (6B works g...

Hi all, If anyone's doing microscope pracs looking at various cell types, I thought I'd post a page of images we use to help the kids understand what they're looking for when they try to find their onion/cheek/bacteria cells...... Light microscope images - cells.pdf ....& here's a page of macro-...

Hi all, I want to add something to wet mounts of protozoans like paramecium & euglena to slow them down so getting a good look under a microscope is easier, especially to watch cilia beating. Methyl cellulose or gelatine work OK, but does anyone have a solutions that really slows them down but d...

If anyone's interested in getting some science models, I found a bunch of inflatable creatures, planets etc you can buy. Great if you want something easy to store, & you can hang them from the ceiling. Southern Biological have inflatable plant & animal cells http://www.southernbiological.com...

Brillant!! I'm going to ask my HOD about it today & see if we can subscribe. Year 11 Biology classes & our Junior Science Club would love it! Considering that we paid over $800 for a collection of 12 blocks of animals specimens years & years ago. It's a great collection, but around $700 ...

Hi again, I didn't read your post properly R-S......the critters you describe sound like copepods or some other kind of arthropod. This site has some awesome photos....hopefully you'll see your little guys & be able to ID them. :thumbup: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/micropolitan/marine/arthro...

Hi R-S, "The Smallest Page on the Web" is fantastic for macroinvertebrate IDs :clap3: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/ There's also a nice gallery here.... http://www.pirx.com/droplet/gallery.html & here's a nice site with movies... http:...

Does anyone have a Dino-Lite digital microscope or something similar? I'd love to hear from anyone who uses one & which model you've got. We're looking into buying one to take on field trips. Something with USB connection so we can plug it into a laptop so the whole set up is simple & portab...

Mwah ha ha haaaa (*evil laugh*).....sounds like he's perfect for a bit of labbie direction & moulding. You could probably train him up quite well if he's willing to listen. The enthusiasm is good, but being 'prac happy' sounds like he may need your expertise & a bit of reigning in. I'd encou...

Hi all,

does anyone do a prac that produces table salt from HCl & NaOH by evaporating the water off?

Cheers

Ditto with the signs. I put them in clear display holders that I stand on the bench, different ones for what's needed, see the attached. Doesn't mean the teachers enforce it of course :redcard: a common sight is the teacher sitting at the front with feet up on the desk & kids at prac benches wit...

For the rates of photosynthesis prac, I use leaves from a plant called Fatsia japonica (photo attached), but ivy or something in that family works too, a vacuum pump, sodium bicarb solution & overhead projectors. Using a hole punch, cut out little discs from the edges of the leaf, avoiding the v...